LIS education in Europe: an overview

LIS education in Europe: an overview

Ángel Borrego

Universitat de Barcelona

Facultat de Biblioteconomia i Documentació

[email protected]

Questions

• How many schools and departments deliver LIS education in Europe?

• In which disciplines can these schools and departments be classified?

• What is the size of these schools and departments?

• Is there any experience of collaboration between these schools and departments?

• What are the characteristics of the programmes that these schools and departments deliver?

Data collection

World Guide to Library, Archive and Information Science

Education. 3rd ed. IFLA, 2007

Internet surfing

Scope

28 member states of the European Union as of June 2014

Limitations

• Linguistic diversity of the countries involved.

• Fragmentation of the LIS community into different faculties,

schools and departments.

Special thanks to….

Limitations

• Linguistic diversity of the countries involved.

• Fragmentation of the LIS community in different faculties,

schools and departments.

How many schools?

The IFLA Guide included 283 educational centres in 26 European

countries. However, 63 institutions were removed or merged, for

four reasons:

• Some were professional associations or national libraries

offering short LIS courses addressed to active professionals.

• Some institutions seemed to have dropped their degrees in LIS.

• Some institutions have merged since the publication of the IFLA

guide in 2007.

• When two schools or departments in a single university offered

LIS-related education, only the one closer to the field was

considered for classification purposes.

Country Population

(in millions)

Institutions

delivering LIS

education

Institutions delivering

undergraduate

LIS education

Institutions delivering

postgraduate

LIS education

Austria 8.4 3 2 3

Belgium 11.1 11 9 4

Bulgaria 7.3 2 2 2

Croatia 4.3 3 3 3

Czech Republic 10.5 7 7 5

Denmark 5.6 1 1 1

Estonia 1.3 2 1 2

Finland 5.4 4 4 3

France 65.3 31 28 25

Germany 80.3 17 16 14

Greece 11.1 3 3 0

Hungary 9.9 10 10 5

Ireland 4.6 1 1 1

Italy 59.4 58 53 22

Latvia 2.0 1 1 1

Lithuania 3.0 1 1 1

Malta 0.4 1 1 0

Netherlands 16.7 6 6 1

Poland 38.5 12 12 8

Portugal 10.5 4 4 3

Romania 20.0 3 2 2

Slovakia 5.4 1 1 1

Slovenia 2.1 1 1 1

Spain 46.8 15 12 13

Sweden 9.5 7 4 6

United Kingdom 63.5 15 9 15

Total ≈ 500 million 220 194 142

Classification of LIS schools and departments

Communication Library & Information

Computing Management & Policy

Education Science & Engineering

Humanities Social & Behavioural

Based on: Wiggins and Sawyer (2012)


School Department Classification

Social Sciences Information

Science

Library &

Information

Social Sciences - Social &

Behavioural

Social Sciences Information and

communication Communication


Schools and

departments %

Communication 34 15.5

Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8

Library & Information 62 28.2

Management & Policy 6 2.7

Science & Engineering 4 1.8

Social & Behavioural 3 1.4

None 18 8.2

Disciplinary classification of LIS educational institutions

Institutions %


Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8





None 18 8.2

Humanities

Most European LIS-related educational programmes are

delivered by schools and departments that can be classified

under the heading of “Humanities”.

However, this figure is, to a certain degree, misleading. If we look

more closely at these 70 schools and departments, we observe

that most of them (49) are faculties of Language, Philosophy

and related disciplines based in Italian universities that offer

degrees in cultural heritage (beni culturali).

A full-time student is expected to take 60 credits in an academic year.

Other LIS degrees in humanities schools and departments

• Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (Bulgaria)

– Faculty of Philosophy

• Library and Information Studies

• Université d'Angers (France)

– Faculté des Lettres, Langues et Sciences Humaines

• Traitement et gestion des archives bibliothèques

• Universidade Católica Portuguesa

– Faculdade de Filosofia

• Ciências da Informação e da Documentação

• Universidade da Coruña (Spain)

– Facultade de Humanidades e Documentación

• Información e documentación

Czech Republic

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of History and

Archives

Department of Czech Literature

and Library Studies

Degree in

Archival studies

Degree in

Information and Library Studies

Czech Republic

Charles University

Faculty of Arts

Department of Auxiliary Historical

Sciences and Archive Studies

Institute of Information Studies

and Librarianship

Degree in Archive Studies and

Auxiliary Historical Sciences

Degree in

Information Studies and

Librarianship

Hungary

Eötvös Lóránd University

Degree Major

History Archival Science

Information and Library Studies

Book History

Information and Knowledge

Management

EU Information

Archival Studies, Fachbereich Informationswissenschaften, Fachhochschule Potsdam (Germany)


Institutions %


Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8





None 18 8.2

Higher education in France

Information et communication, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier (France)

La licence Information et communication propose aux étudiants d’acquérir des connaissances sur les différents aspects théoriques et pratiques de l'information et de la communication. Elle vise à donner aux étudiants les moyens de s’approprier les outils conceptuels, méthodologiques et techniques afin de s’adapter à un éventail de métiers de la communication (chargé de communication, attaché de presse, community manager…) et à des pratiques professionnelles en mutation permanente.

Information et communication,

Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium)

L’homme est un être de communication. Pour informer, expliquer, transmettre des connaissances,

il invente sans cesse des supports, des machines, des dispositifs de communication. Comme les

techniques qui les véhiculent, ses messages prennent ainsi des formes toujours nouvelles. Les

études universitaires en communication allient la maîtrise théorique et analytique aux

apprentissages de techniques professionnelles de haut niveau.

Nos diplômés trouvent un emploi dans

– le journalisme (écrit, radio, télé, multimédia);

– les relations publiques, la communication interne, la communication externe,

l’intervention d’entreprise, la communication politique, la publicité sociale, la

vulgarisation scientifique, la sensibilisation, la prévention, l’éducation aux médias, la

formation par les médias;

– l’animation et la communication culturelle, le multimédia, l’analyse des médias, la

recherche et l’enseignement, etc.

Licence professionnelle in Traitement et gestion des archives bibliothèques, Université d’Angers

A one-year specialisation open to students and professionals:

• étudiants titulaires d’un DEUG ou de quatre semestres de licence validés (120 ECTS)

• étudiants titulaires d’un DUT Information communication, d’un DEUST Métiers du livre, d’un BTS Communication, d’un BTS Édition ou d’un diplôme de niveau équivalent.

• personnels des services d’archives, centres de documentation et bibliothèques désireux de parfaire leurs acquis professionnels et de valider leurs compétences par un diplôme universitaire (dossiers soumis à la commission de validation des acquis de l’expérience, VAE)

Université d'Aix-Marseille

• Institut Universitaire de Technologie

– DUT Information-Communication “orienté vers les métiers de la bibliothèque, de l'édition et de la librairie, il forme des médiateurs spécialisés dans la promotion et la diffusion du livre, des revues et des autres supports d’édition (sonore, vidéo, numérique...).”

• École de Journalisme et de Communication

– Undergraduate degree in Information-Communication.

Information, Medien & Kommunikation Fachhochschule Burgenland (Austria)


Institutions %


Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8





None 18 8.2

Institut für Informationswissenschaft & Sprachtechnologie, Universität Hildesheim

(Germany)

Hungary

• Eötvös Lóránd University

– Institute of Informatics and Library Science

• College Of Nyíregyháza

– Faculty of Science and Information Technology

• Information Technology Librarian

• Ferenc Kölcsey Teacher Training College of the Reformed Church

– Institute of Communication and Social Science

• Informatics Librarian Programme

Licenciatura em Ciência da Informação

University of Porto (Portugal)

Este curso resulta de uma parceria entre a Faculdade de Letras

e a Faculdade de Engenharia, cujas valências complementares

nesta área permitiram construir um plano de estudos sólido e

atualizado, em que se cruzam saberes tradicionais com

aplicações teórico-práticas nas áreas das tecnologias da

informação e da comunicação.

United Kingdom

Six out of 15 departments offering LIS-related training can be classified

under the “Computing” category:

• Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies

(University of the West of England)

• School of Computing (Edinburgh Napier University)

• Computer and Information Sciences (University of Strathclyde)

• School of Computing, Creative Technologies & Engineering (Leeds

Metropolitan University)

• School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (Liverpool John

Moores University)

• School of Computing and Technology (University of West London)


Institutions %


Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8





None 18 8.2

Gestão de Informação Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal


Institutions %


Computing 20 9.1

Education 3 1.4

Humanities 70 31.8





None 18 8.2

Institut d'Enseignement Supérieur Social des Sciences de l'Information et de la

Documentation (Belgium)

“Library and Information Services” Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

…Specialised skills, such as storing data and acquiring information, knowledge of literature and other library materials, customer service skills, social skills and computer skills, are emphasised in the programme…

…There is a study module available in English (25 cr) ...

…The studies consist of … work placement (30 cr) …

“Applied Information Science”, Institut für Informationswissenschaft, Fachhochschule Köln

The Bachelor study programme in “Applied Information Science” focuses on the handling of information content in enterprises, associations, public bodies and other organizations. Both technical and information science-related facets as well as economic aspects are examined.

Conservatory and music libraries, general libraries with music sections, church and private archives, request the use of specialized staff capable to catalogue according to national and international standards.

The new School is aimed at creating this special professional figure through the adoption of an innovative study plan enhancing the cataloguing practice, but also providing for the study of subjects that help build a wider range of skills: music philology, music IT, music history, music theory, music palaeography, the history of staff notation, music iconography.

Postgraduate education

Postgraduate education

Bachelor Master

Fachhochschule Burgenland

(Austria)

Bachelorstudiengang Information,

Medien & Kommunikation

Masterstudiengang Information

Medien Kommunikation

Université libre de Bruxelles

(Belgium)

Bachelier en Information et

communication

Master en Information et

communication

Sofia University "St. Kliment

Ohridski" (Bulgaria)

Bacherlor of Library and

Information Studies

Master of Library and Information

Sciences and Cultural Policy

University of Zadar

(Croatia)

Undergraduate programme Library

and Information Science

Graduate programme Library and

Information Science

Masaryk University

(Czech Republic) Information and Library Studies Information and Library Studies

Tallinn University

(Estonia)

Information Science, Bachelor

programme

Information Science, Master

programme

Abo Akademi University

(Finland) Information Studies Information Studies

Université libre de Bruxelles

En prolongeant le Bachelier [en information et communication]

par un Master en information et communication, l'étudiant

pourra s'orienter directement vers les métiers suivants…

Institut für Informationswissenschaft, Fachhochschule Köln (Germany)

“This four-semester Master’s

program qualifies graduates of

any academic discipline as well

as librarians holding at least a

Bachelor’s degree for highly-

specialized responsibilities and

leadership positions in libraries

and other information centers.”

Master of Science (MSc) in Information Science and Cultural Communication, Royal School of Library and Information Science (Denmark)

The MSc in Science in Information Science and Cultural Communication programme is a 2-year full-time postgraduate programme for those with a degree in LIS or an equivalent background.

Postgraduate topics

• Library & Information Management; Knowledge Management...

• Archival Science; Archival Studies; Archive Administration; Records management...

• Information and Communication

• Digital curation; Digital libraries; Información digital...

• Business Information Services; Business Intelligence; Systèmes d’Information & Management de l’Entreprise

• Advanced Analytics; Data analytics; Estatística e Gestão da Informação; Statistics and Data Mining

Domestic collaboration

There are few examples of collaboration among universities,

both at the domestic or at the international level:

• Master of Archival Science: Cultural Heritage and Records

(Belgium), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (coordinator), Universiteit

Antwerpen, Universiteit Gent, KU Leuven

• Master in Digital Content Management (Spain), Universitat

de Barcelona (coordinator), Universitat Pompeu Fabra

• Master in School Libraries and the Promotion of Reading

(Spain), Universitat de Barcelona (coordinator), Universitat

Autònoma de Barcelona

Tallinn University (Estonia) & University of Parma (Italy)

Digital Library Learning (DILL) is a two-year international

master’s programme for elite information professionals to

provide them with the skills and competencies necessary to

navigate through the rapidly evolving world of digital libraries. It

is offered in cooperation between Tallinn University (Estonia) and

the University of Parma (Italy). Students will spend at least one

semester at each institution

Berlin School of Library and Information Science

• Joint Study Profile "Information Science and Cultural

Communication" together with the Royal School of Library

and Information Science (RSLIS), Copenhagen

• Joint Study Profile "Digital Curation" in cooperation with

Kings College, London

Summer schools

The summer school is a collaboration

between University of Washington (UW)

and RSLIS and is offered to UW students

as part of UW's Study Abroad-program

Conclusions (I)

• There is no common European approach to LIS education with different orientations of training in each country.

• There are very few experiences of international (or even domestic) collaboration for delivering degrees in partnership.

Conclusions (II)

• Most undergraduate degrees in librarianship combine a general culture background with courses in technology, languages and practical training.

• Other undergraduate degrees seem to be more oriented towards business information management.

Conclusions (III)

• There are no clear differences between undergraduate and graduate programmes, which have similar names and lack specific target audiences.

• In addition to postgraduate degrees in librarianship and archive studies, most programmes revolve around digital curation, business information services and data analytics.

Thank you!

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LIS education in Europe: an overview

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